Nabihah Shami

The first Arab woman physician who broke gender and cultural barriers in 19th century Syria

Nabihah Shami (1832–1899) was a pioneering Syrian physician and educator who became the first Arab woman to earn a medical degree during the Ottoman era. Born in Damascus to a family of scholars, she defied societal norms by pursuing education at a time when women were largely excluded from formal learning institutions. After secretly studying medicine through private tutoring, she traveled to France in 1855 to study at the Paris Medical School - an unprecedented act of courage that required overcoming both familial resistance and legal restrictions.

Upon completing her degree in 1860, she returned to Syria to establish the first women's hospital in the Middle East, providing healthcare services previously inaccessible to Muslim women. Her clinic in Beirut also served as a training ground for future female medical professionals. Dr. Shami's work laid foundational frameworks for modern healthcare systems in Lebanon and Syria, and her advocacy for women's education led to the establishment of the first girls' schools in Damascus. Her 1872 publication Medical Care for Women became a seminal text in Arabic medical literature.

Today her legacy is commemorated through the Nabihah Shami Medical Society (https://www.nabihahshami.org) and a permanent exhibit at the American University of Beirut's history museum. Recent scholarship like this article in the Journal of the History of Medicine highlights her contributions to both medical practice and gender equality in the Arab world.